On the 23rd of June the Gandhi Voyage travelling group reached Brazil, a country known for its energizing samba, colorful carnival and fantastic football.

The Latin American leg of the ‘Voyage of Dialogue and Discovery’ began last week in Mexico City, one of the world’s most populated cities. Mexico is winning on the football field, and the surge of nationalism and pride accompanying their team’s success is palpable. But beyond the flag flying and painted faces of green, white and red, are Mexicans ready to take the next steps as a people, ‘from patriotism to citizenship’ to claim their history, take responsibility for their challenges and become the leaders in world they should be?

When Rajmohan Gandhi, President of Initiatives of Change International, gave a public lecture in Tokyo last week on Japan’s role in the world, the choice of venue – the Ozaki Yukio Memorial Foundation – was highly symbolic.

‘Trust may not succeed in one week, one month or maybe even 10 years, but I think the world should know that there is a grassroots movement for trust in Ukraine.’

Rajmohan Gandhi’s final thoughts for Ukraine were a fitting conclusion for the first ‘Week of Trust’ that was celebrated from Kiev to Crimea on April 19-26. Gandhi and the Voyage of Dialogue and Discovery were special guests in support of the people’s movement led by Foundations for Freedom, the local Initiatives of Change team in Ukraine.

For a country that has experienced years of oppression, like Romania, freedom is not taken for granted.

‘What is freedom?’ probed one student after Rajmohan Gandhi’s address at a university in Baia Mare, a northern Romanian city of 130,000 that was once a major mining centre. Prof Gandhi replied that ‘if the state tells me what to do, I say I will resist. But if my conscience asks me not to do something, I want to obey it. Then I find I have inner freedom.’

Chandrahas Choudhury interviews Rajmohan Gandhi about his new book 'A Tale of Two Revolts'.

The realities of Norway contrast in many ways with the situations in Egypt, Palestine and Israel, which the Gandhi Voyage visited before arriving in Oslo.

As part of their journey to several countries, Prof Rajmohan Gandhi and his wife Usha visited the West Bank and Israel at the beginning of April. Along with Edward Peters they were guests of Dr Mustafa Barghouthi and the Palestinian National Initiative in the West Bank before continuing to Jerusalem for 24 hours.

At the end of a two-week visit to South Africa, Professor Rajmohan Gandhi delivered a Vice-Chancellor's Open lecture at the University of Cape Town, calling for 'a coalition of conscience' within countries and across the world to confront 'the real enemies... of hate, fear and greed'.